Imiría Conservation Concession to Protect Flooded Amazonian Forests in Ucayali, Peru

Andes Amazon Fund is thrilled to announce the granting of the Imiría Conservation Concession to the Border Federation of Native Communities of Lake Imiría and Chauya – Masisea (FECONALICM), on May 7th, 2025, in Peru’s Amazonian department of Ucayali. Imiría spans 7,410 acres (2,999 hectares) of flooded Amazonian forests adjacent to the Imiría Regional Conservation Area and the Shipibo-Conibo Indigenous communities of Santa Martha and Buenos Aires, strengthening the protection of biodiverse wetlands and forests. The process took over half a decade to complete and was led by FECONALICM.

The creation of the Imiría Conservation Concession enables the protection of fauna and flora species important for preserving local biodiversity and Indigenous culture. Among these species are the ayahuasca vine (Banisteriopsis caapi) and the chuchuhuasi tree (Maytenus macrocarpa), both Amazonian species of cultural and medicinal value to local Indigenous groups.

Fauna species include the giant arapaima (Arapaima gigas), one of the largest freshwater fish in the world and an important source of food for local communities, and the lowland tapir (Tapirus terrestris) a key species that maintains the ecological balance of the forest by helping spread plant seeds. The new conservation concession aims to provide a refuge for biodiversity and safeguard essential ecosystem goods and services for local communities.

The granting of the new conservation concession strengthens the ecological connectivity of neighboring protected natural areas, being directly adjacent to the Imiría Regional Conservation Area (RCA) which includes lake Imiría as well as being adjacent to two Indigenous Communities (Comunidades Nativas): Santa Martha and Buenos Aires.

Acknowledgements: 

This achievement was made possible by the Border Federation of Native Communities of Lake Imiría and Chauya – Masisea  (FECONALICM), constituted by Shipibo-Conibo Indigenous peoples grouped in 5 native communities: Junín Pablo, Caimito, Nuevo Loreto, Nueva Yarina and Buenos Aires, in a process spanning 6 years and through collaboration with the Regional Forest and Wildlife Management Authority of Ucayali (GERFFS), the Environmental Authority of Ucayali, and the leaders of the Buenos Aires, Junín Pablo, and Nuevo Loreto Indigenous communities with the support of Amazonicos por la Amazonia (AMPA), Asociación Civil Intercultural Bari Wesna of the ProPurús association, Centro Indígena para el Desarrollo Sostenible (CINDES), Viridis Tours, and the National Intercultural University of the Amazon. Andes Amazon Fund financially supported AMPA in this process.